By Stephen Nuwagira
The produce market in Ibanda district has been experiencing mixed trends, with some commodity prices rising and others falling over the past month.
Traders in Ibanda town and Rushango Town Council quote mixed beans at sh2,000 per kilogramme, increasing from sh1,700 at the end of May 2024, and big white costs sh3,200 compared to sh3,000.
However, prices for green, yellow, and Nambale short varieties have dropped to sh3,000 a kilo, down from sh3,200 over the reporting period, while that of Nambale long costs sh2,800 compared to sh3,000 previously.
Namable short, yellow and green varieties cost about sh3,500 per kilogramme in Rushango, according to Vincent Kanane, a producer dealer in Rushango Town Council in Ibanda North County.
The price of maize rose marginally to trade at sh700 per kilo compared to 650 at the end of May.
Popcorn rose from sh1,500 a kilo to sh1,700; cassava goes for sh600, down from sh800; unsorted millet is slightly up at sh2,300 a kilo, from sh2,200, while that of sorted millet is unchanged at sh2,700.
Sorghum goes for sh1,700, increasing from sh1,700 on May 31, and local groundnuts are stable at sh6,000, while the two types of groundnuts from Tanzania cost sh3,500 and sh4,200 per kilo, respectively.
Godfrey Begumisa, the chairperson of the Ibanda Produce Dealers Association projects the prices of produce (across the board) to rise in coming weeks, saying the last crop was poor due to the prolonged dry spell in the area.
